Moyne Shire Council will write to the heads of four wind farm companies with projects in the municipality, requesting a meeting to discuss the impact of transmission lines.

Councillors voted unanimously at the monthly meeting for a workshop to be held with Global Power Generation, Windfarm Developments, Acciona and Tilt Renewable representatives to discuss the proposed route of transmission lines within the shire.

They will also seek details of the companys’ public consultation with affected communities.

Resident’s concerns are mounting about the impact of several power transmission lines from new and planned wind farms in the south-west.

A petition is being circulated in the Noorat and Mortlake communities calling for a halt to further construction of transmission lines until there is more regulation to reduce their footprint on the landscape.

The council will also seek information from the companies about their consultation with other wind farms in the shire in regard to sharing transmission lines and any investigations they have done in regard to installing the lines underground.

Moyne Shire has five wind farms with routes of the transmission lines to the grid currently being planned. The Salt Creek wind farm has nearly completed its transmission line.

Other wind farms in the region are Hawkesdale, Ryan’s Corner, Woolsthorpe, Mortlake South and Dundonnell.

A council report said the route lines had caused “a great deal of public criticism and angst with in the affected communities”.

Councillor Colin Ryan said there had been no consultation with the community in regards to the placement of transmission lines.

The council also voted to write to the state government planning minister and minister for energy to request transmission lines and substations were subject to planning permit approval, which they currently do not need.

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